In brief
With differing skill levels, 18 captains have won the Premier League title at the end of the season.
The 17 players have been ranked by GIVEMESPORT according to their football skills.
Among the former Manchester United captains who have hoisted the trophy above their heads are Roy Keane, Eric Cantona, and Gary Neville.
It’s no easy task to become a Premier League winning captain. Only eighteen players have actually done it before, and it requires a special set of qualities, including the mental toughness to lead an entire dressing room to glory in addition to the skill to play for top-flight champions.
Nevertheless, those two facets of winning the Premier League are two very separate abilities. While some athletes are fortunate enough to be able to inhibit both, others are not; in fact, the team’s least talented player frequently ends up donning the armband.
In light of this, we have ranked every Premier League captain to date based solely on their football skills. To make sure that everyone understands what that term means, think about it this way: if these guys were playing five-a-side on a street corner in south London after school, who would be the baller nutmegging everyone and who would be joyfully lumping it all into Mr. Archibald’s garden?
With some of the best names on the list, it was difficult for GIVEMESPORT to rank all 18 captains according to their football skills.
Factors that rank
Naturally, winning a Premier League trophy is an amazing accomplishment by any measure, and every player on the following list deserves to be there. As is frequently the case in sports, opinions are all that matter, and all eighteen men were excellent for their sides. The following elements are taken into account because this list is based on football ability:
Football IQ skill, passing, shooting, tackling, dribbling, and creativity
18Wes Morgan
Leicester City (2015/16)
A man at the perfect moment in the right spot. Wes Morgan was 31 years old when the Foxes astonished the world by winning the Premier League title under Claudio Ranieri. He had previously spent ten years at Nottingham Forest before controversially joining Midlands rivals Leicester City.
Morgan’s task was very straightforward: keep the ball out of Leicester’s box as much as possible, preferably by hoofing it down the channels. Morgan was the cornerstone of a side that was constructed around the devastation that Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez generated on the counterattack. Although he was not a terrific football player, he was the ideal captain for an incredible campaign.
Wes Morgan’s Professional Background
Group
Years
Forest of Nottingham
From 2002 to 2012
Harriers Kidderminster (loan)
2003
City of Leicester
From 2012 to 2021
Jamaica
From 2013 to 2016
17Steve Bruce
Manchester United (1995/96)
Before assuming the armband full-time during the 1995–96 season, he co-skipped Manchester United through their first two Premier League championships with Bryan Robson. Playing directly behind the striker is impossible with a nose like that. Ivan Ponting, a journalist, once called the center-back “an honest trier who made the absolute most of limited natural ability.”
Brucey most definitely did, and despite his tendency to show remarkable poise when in possession, he would be the first to acknowledge that he wasn’t being chosen for his technical inventiveness. The fact that he never received a senior England cap could indicate that there were more technically proficient central defenders available at the time.
Steve Bruce’s Professional Background
Group
Years
The Gillingham
From 1979 to 1984
City of Norwich
1984–1987
United Manchester
From 1987 to 1996
City of Birmingham
1996–1998
United of Sheffield
1998–1999
16Gary Cahill
Chelsea (2016/17)
In his younger days, Gary Cahill was fairly tidy in possession, especially in front of goal, where rifled volleys became a recurring feature of his play. However, he ended his career in 2022 after controlling the backlines of Crystal Palace and Bournemouth by kicking or heading the ball as far away from the goal as possible.
By the time he was Antonio Conte’s de facto captain of Chelsea in 2016–17, he was dependable enough to dribble his way out of trouble or pass crisply along the back line, but his role in the three-man defense was essentially limited to keeping things as simple as possible and allowing players like David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta to work the ball into midfield instead. On his day, he was capable of technical genius, but he fell just short of the necessary level to be any higher.
The Career History of Gary Cahill
Group
Years
Villa Aston
From 2004 to 2008
Loan from Burnley
2004–2005
Loan for Sheffield United
2007
Wanderers of Bolton
2008–2012
Chelsea
From 2012 to 2019
The Crystal Palace
2019–2021
The Bournemouth
2021–2022
England
From 2009 to 2018
15Nemanja Vidic
Manchester United (2010/11, 2012/13)
Although the Serbian international was rarely a suspect in possession, Nemanja Vidic, who led United to the championships in 2010–11 and 2012–13, was always somewhat of a holdover from the earlier days of the center-back position. Rio Ferdinand got all the praise for playing the part of a “continental” defender by winning headers, blocking shots, and making heavy tackles.
Vidic is the ideal man for the job if you need someone to put their head where it hurts. However, the former United player would be far from the top of your list if you’re searching for a defender to help you navigate a high-profile situation.
Nemanja Vidic’s Professional Background
Group
Years
Belgrade’s Red Star
From 2000 to 2004
Subotica Spartak (loan)
From 2000 to 2001
Moscow Spartak
2004–2006
United Manchester
From 2006 to 2014
Milan Inter
2014–2016
Serbia
From 2002 to 2011
14Tony Adams
Arsenal (1997/98, 2001/02)
Before Arsene Wenger arrived, Tony Adams, who was known as just “Donkey” in the early years of his career, was as hoof ball as they come. However, the Frenchman granted the former England player much more possession rights.
Adams was known for fusing his characteristic tears into midfield and sometimes even yonder with tough defense by the time he led Arsenal to their first two Premier League titles. Most notably, he ran past the forwards for Arsenal, caught a through pass from Martin Keown, and scored a volley against Everton that almost guaranteed the Gunners their first Premier League championship.
The Career History of Tony Adams
Group
Years
The Arsenal
From 1983 to 2002
England
1987–2000
13Gary Neville
Manchester United (2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09)
Gary Neville would be the first to acknowledge that his ability to read the game and use tactical acumen was far more important to his long tenure as Manchester United’s right-back than his skill with the ball at his feet. Nevertheless, he worked very hard on the technical aspects of his game, especially when he was playing with David Beckham.
His out wide whips and overlapping runs were essential to Man United’s strategy. When it came to leading the Red Devils to championship triumph, he was never quite the same player due to injuries, but the former England player always had something in his locker.
Gary Neville’s Professional Background
Group
Years
United Manchester
1992–2011
England
From 1995 to 2007
12Tim Sherwood
Blackburn Rovers (1994/95)
Tim Sherwood was a notoriously feisty midfield enforcer first and foremost, but he was also a useful player in possession, scoring an incredible six goals as the Ewood Park team won the Premier League in the 1994–95 season. Blackburn owner Jack Walker once infamously compared Sherwood to Zinedine Zidane.
Sherwood was a traditional box-to-box midfielder who could accomplish a variety of tasks, but his impact with the ball was more consistently useful than spectacular. His career as a commentator suggests that he will have some opinions on that.
Tim Sherwood’s Professional Background
Group
Years
Watford
1987–1989
City of Norwich
From 1989 to 1992
Rovers of Blackburn
From 1992 to 1999
Tottenham
From 1999 to 2003
Portsmouth
2003–2004
City of Coventry
2004–2005
England
1999
11Jordan Henderson
Liverpool (2019/20)
Jordan Henderson has occasionally been ridiculed for having such poor football skills that he is not deserving of the same Liverpool armband that Steven Gerrard wore. Hendo will acknowledge that he is not Stevie G, yet his technical prowess is oddly minimized. Henderson made his debut as a winger for Sunderland. He had some outstanding form in his early Reds career, playing a very offensive box-to-box style and contributing significantly to Liverpool’s run for the 2013–14 title under Brendan Rodgers.
Henderson’s career will always be remembered as an unappreciated workhorse rather than a progressive baller, though, because of a few too many sideways passes, misdirected cross-field balls, and blasts over the bar. When the only player to have won the largest prize in England for the Reds joined Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, his career at Liverpool came to an unimpressive conclusion.
Jordan Henderson’s Professional Background
Group
Years
Sunderland
2008–2011
(loan) Coventry City
2009
Liverpool
2011–2023
Al-Ettifaq
2023–2024
Ajax
2024–Today
England
From 2010 to the present
10Kyle Walker
Manchester City (2023/24)
Kyle Walker was renowned for his quickness, and on any given day, he could go toe-to-toe with every forward on the planet. For the majority of his career, the Englishman was among the world’s top full-backs, and he kept winning trophies well into his 30s.
Walker was not just incredibly fast but also had a fantastic football mind, which made him a terror for opposing teams. Following Ilkay Gundogan’s initial departure from City in the summer of 2023, Walker assumed the captaincy with ease at Etihad Stadium.
The Career History of Kyle Walker
Group
Years
United of Sheffield
2008–2009 and 2009–2010
(loan) Northampton Town
2008
Tottenham Hotspur
From 2009 to 2017
Rangers of Queens Park (loan)
2010–2011
Villa Aston (loan)
2011
City of Manchester
From 2017 to 2025
AC Milan (loan)
2025–Today
England
From 2011 to the Present
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